Our History
Independent and client-focused from the start.
For more than 30 years, Hanson+Doremus has served Vermonters with thoughtful financial planning and investment advice. Since day one, our firm has been a fee-only fiduciary—free from the pressure to sell financial products and focused on putting our clients’ needs first. These principles formed the foundation of H+D, and they remain unchanged today.
From The Beginning
Eric Hanson founded Hanson Investment Management in 1995, drawing on more than two decades of experience in Vermont’s financial community. Early on, the firm’s unique DNA was established through the philosophy that good investment advice requires independent thinking, disciplined research, and genuine relationships with clients. When Anne Doremus joined the firm several years later, she brought a focus on rigorous analysis to the firm. Her impact on the firm’s direction and culture led to its renaming to Hanson+Doremus—a reflection of a true partnership in both values and expertise.
What set the firm apart from the start was its commitment to putting clients first. H+D has always been a fee-only fiduciary—with no products to sell and no commissions to earn. This way of doing things built client trust and helped grow the firm to what it is today.
In 2019, H+D completed an ownership transition that brought the next generation of leadership into the firm. Although that transition is now well behind us, the same values and client-first culture that Eric and Anne built remain at the forefront of the firm today.
The Common Thread
Three things are woven throughout our history and continue to define our work today:
We are locally owned and client-first.
We answer to our clients, not to a parent company or product platform. Our advice is shaped by what is best for the people we serve.
Relationships guide every decision.
Clients often stay with us for decades because we know their lives, their goals, and their concerns. That depth of relationship is at the core of everything we do.
Community is part of who we are.
From serving on local boards to volunteering with local charitable organizations, our team has been involved in bettering Vermont’s communities throughout the firm’s history.
Our Firm Today
What started as a one-person firm has grown—over more than 30 years—to become one of the largest financial planning and investment firms of its kind in Vermont. That growth has come from staying true to our founding principles: remaining independent, fostering long-term relationships, staying involved in our community, and continuing to adapt and evolve alongside the people we serve. Today, we offer a fully integrated approach to planning, investment strategy, and day-to-day financial decision-making. Our team brings together its collective expertise to assist our clients with retirement planning, tax and Social Security strategy, college savings, estate considerations, and answering many other everyday financial questions. Together, we continue the work this firm was founded to do: serve our community as trusted financial advisors.
